To select your charter boat, which will be your mobile hotel for a few days, ask yourself the right questions:
- How many people?
- What size sailboat?
- What type of boat?
- What is the budget?
Who will be the crew of your boat during your sailing vacations?
If you decide to go to couple a small monohull will be more than enough for your sailing vacations. Intimate and easy to handle, it will soon convince you.
Vacation in family if your crew includes a bunch of kids, your mother-in-law and neophyte cousins, choose a catamaran. This recreational platform will offer enough space to meet everyone's needs and personality.
You leave between friends what is the level of intimacy of your group of friendsâeuros? Does the crew want to party or relaxâeuros? Will any of them sleep in the coach? Are there any heavy snorers on board? The need for space and privacy will be amplified if the group is composed of individuals with very different lifestyles.
Remember: determine from the start the type of vacation you are planning so that everyone can find their way around
Intimate?
Or fiesta?
What is the right size of the rental boat?
When talking about the size of a sailboat, there is a basic rule to keep in mind: the bigger the boat, the heavier it will be, so the maneuvers will be more physical and complex. Even if charter boats are equipped with all the necessary navigation aids, a large boat requires more crew and experience.
- On a 38-foot monohull, a skipper -a little experienced- will be able to do everything, because most of the maneuvers are done in the cockpit.
- On a 50-foot catamaran, a larger and more skilled crew will be needed, if only to install the heavy fenders or the long hawsers.
- If this is your first charter, choose a modest-sized boat with a crew that is not too experienced.
Remember: Better a sailboat that's a little too small than too big. Sailing vacations are not limited to a closed-door sitting around the saloon table. Stopovers and anchorages are opportunities to take advantage of the available space.
What type of boat to choose for your vacations?
The choice is binary between a monohull and a multihull. These two boats of the same length will offer a volume, a layout and a behavior at sea very different.
Does your crew have a hankering for the thrill of the wind and the thrill of riding the waves? The monohull has undeniable nautical abilities. The layout, if functional, offers a smaller volume than its two or three hull competitor.
At anchor, the multihull is an exceptional leisure platform. On board, there will be at least four cabins, each with its own bathroom. However, the catamaran is often a sailboat that does not offer much pleasure at the helm.
Remember: what does the bottle matter, as long as you have drunkenness!
What is the budget for your boat rental?
Except for a few privileged people, cost is a limiting factor in the choice of sailing vacations.
Generally speaking, catamarans are more expensive than monohulls. But be careful, to make a fair comparison, the right criterion is not the size, but rather the number of cabins.
In addition, the charter company, the brand of boat, its features and equipment all play a role in the rental price.
But more than that, the location of your vacation and the rental season are the determining factors in the price of the sailboat.
Remember: determine at the outset how your crew will share the rental and related costs.
